Historically, subscriber network television services have been comprised primarily of analog broadcast audio and video signals. Subscriber network television systems now receive broadcasts and retransmit them with other programming to users. With the recent advent of digital transmission technology, subscriber network television systems are now capable of providing much more than the traditional analog broadcast video. In addition, two-way and advanced one-way communications between a subscriber, or user, and a subscriber network television system headend are now possible.
In implementing enhancements to TV viewing, the home communication terminal (“HCT”), otherwise known as the set-top box, has become an important computing device for accessing and receiving video services and navigating a subscriber through a maze of services available. In addition to supporting traditional analog broadcast video functionality, digital HCTs (or “DHCTs”) now also support an increasing number of services which include digital two-way communication such as video-on-demand, Internet e-mail, and browsing, among others. These are all in addition to the host of other television services which are increasingly being demanded by consumers, examples of which include audio and audio/visual programming, advanced navigation controls, impulse pay-per-view technology, and on-line commerce. In addition to the interactive services, the increased bandwidth available through a subscriber network television system has made it possible for a subscriber to have access to hundreds, or even thousands, of channels and/or services. Most of these services presented to the television viewer are media intensive and demand high bandwidth.
Therefore, what is needed is a flexible mechanism that enables the efficient use of various types of DHCTs to more fully use the many and varied services available via the subscriber networks.